Modern commercial turkey breeds have been selected for such extreme breast muscle development that they cannot reproduce naturally and suffer serious musculoskeletal problems. Breed reform offers welfare improvement.
Turkey breeding has created an industry-wide welfare crisis through extreme selection for a single production trait. The commercial turkey is an animal whose body has been engineered for maximum breast meat yield at the cost of basic physiological function - the ability to reproduce naturally, to walk without pain, and to maintain cardiovascular health consistent with its body size. Lameness and heart disease are not random misfortunes but predictable consequences of the genetic trajectory the industry has pursued. The welfare solution is the same as for broiler chickens: breeding programs that include welfare traits including leg health, locomotion, cardiovascular function, and growth rate alongside production efficiency. Consumer demand for slower-growing turkeys with better welfare profiles is the most powerful driver of reform.